73% Of Smartphones Sold By AT&T Last Quarter Were iPhones

AT&T announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2012 today, and yet again the iPhone driving the company’s sales. Of the 5.1 million smartphones the carrier sold, a whopping 72.5% were iPhones.

3.7 million iPhones were sold by AT&T last quarter, down from the 4.3 million units sold in the previous quarter. This decline is said to be a result of consumer anticipation for the new iPhone, which is expected to make its debut this fall.

The 3.7 million iPhones AT&T activated last quarter make up around 72.5% of the carrier’s 5.1 million smartphone sales, and around 55% of the carrier’s total phone sales — down from 60% last quarter.

The company’s statement read:

AT&T sold 5.1 million smartphones in the second quarter. Smartphones represented 77 percent of postpaid device sales. At the end of the quarter, 61.9 percent, or 43.1 million, of AT&T’s postpaid subscribers had smartphones, up from 49.9 percent, or 34.1 million, a year earlier. AT&T’s ARPU for smartphones is twice that of non-smartphone subscribers, and about 88 percent of smartphone subscribers are on FamilyTalk® or business plans. Churn levels for these subscribers are significantly lower than for other postpaid subscribers. More than one-third of AT&T’s postpaid smartphone customers use a 4G-capable device.

Android, iPhone and Windows device sales were supported by AT&T’s 4G network. Only AT&T’s 4G network lets iPhone 4S download three-times faster than any other U.S. carrier’s network. In the quarter, the company activated 3.7 million iPhones, with 22 percent new to AT&T.

AT&T’s numbers only represent a very small portion of Apple’s iPhone sales last quarter, of course. But we’ll get a better picture of those figures later today when Apple holds its own earnings call. iPhone sales are expected to be slightly less this quarter as the company’s next-generation iPhone gets closer.